This is a very hearty and flavour-packed Vegan Chili Con Carne, basically Chili Sin Carne that’s packed full of plant-based protein! Enjoy this as is, with some rice, tortillas, corn chips, bread, anything you’d like!
WHAT’S CHILI CON CARNE?
I’m by no means an expert on chili and derived this recipe from what I recall chili con carne to taste like based on those I’ve tried from the US before I went vegan. This dish is actually just called Chili in the USA while other countries might know it as Chili Con Carne or Chili Sin Carne in this case since this dish doesn’t actually contain real meat.
Some versions of Chili, such as those from Texas will not actually have beans but the Chili Con Carne I grew up to love and enjoy did contain beans. My mom always requests to add kidney beans since we both love its texture (plus extra protein and fibre!).
This dish is supposed to be spicy so if you love spice, then this one’s for you! But of course if you can’t handle that much spice, you can tone down the chili powder and adjust accordingly.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
- 1 cup dry TVP or texturised vegetable protein (100g), see notes
- 1 tbsp neutral oil vegetable, avocado, canola, etc
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 1 cup tomato sauce (240 ml)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste (30 g)
- 2 small chunks vegan dark chocolate (5g), optional but highly recommended!
- 1 cup vegetable stock (240 ml), see notes
- 250 g cooked red kidney beans drained (from 1 400-g can)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
You can also check out the full recipe in the card below!
COOKING CHILI CON CARNE
- Rehydrate the TVP: rehydrate the TVP by by soaking it in hot water for at least 5 minutes. Afterwards, drain the water.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add in the oil. Sauté the onions until tender. Then add in the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and cook down until tender, around 2-3 minutes. Add in the vegan mince/TVP and sauce for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the tomato sauce, vegetable stock or water, tomato paste, and the spice mix. Leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, on medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in the beans and dark chocolate (if using) leave to cook for a few more minutes.
- Season with salt to taste. Feel free to adjust the spices according to your desired taste. Add some vegan cheese or egan sour cream, if desired. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions or cilantro. Enjoy while hot!
SERVE AND ENJOY!
Storage tips: you can freeze cooked chili corn carne and just thaw and reheat this on a pot when ready to enjoy!
OTHER VEGAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- Scalloped Potatoes in Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
- Chili Garlic and Black Bean Eggplant Noodles
- Easy Sweet, Spicy, and Saucy Noodles
- Pan-Fried Tofu Cakes
- Tofu ‘McNuggets’
- Yaki Udon
- Chinese-Style Bolognese
Chili Sin Carne (Vegan Chili Con Carne)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry TVP or texturised vegetable protein (100g), see notes
- 1 tbsp neutral oil vegetable, avocado, canola, etc
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 1 cup tomato sauce (240 ml)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste (30 g)
- 2 small chunks vegan dark chocolate (5g), optional but highly recommended! – I used 70% dark chocolate
- 1 cup vegetable stock (240 ml), see notes
- 250 g cooked red kidney beans drained (from 1 400-g can)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seed powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
- 1-2 tsp chili powder adjust according to desired spice
- 1 tsp dried majoram optional
To Serve
- Vegan cheese shreds or sour cream, for topping
- Chopped cilantro or spring onion for garnish
- Chopped green chiles or jalapeños
Instructions
- Rehydrate the TVP: rehydrate the TVP by by soaking it in hot water for at least 5 minutes. Afterwards, drain the water.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add in the oil. Sauté the onions until tender. Then add in the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and cook down until tender, around 2-3 minutes. Add in the vegan mince/TVP and sauce for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the tomato sauce, vegetable stock or water, tomato paste, and the spice mix. Leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, on medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in the beans and dark chocolate (if using) leave to cook for a few more minutes.
- Season with salt to taste. Feel free to adjust the spices according to your desired taste. Add some vegan cheese or egan sour cream, if desired. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions or cilantro. Enjoy while hot!
Notes
For vegetable stock/water
- If using water, you can add 1 vegetable cube or bouillon
TVP/Vegan Mince
- 100 g (1 cup) TVP makes 2 cups rehydrated TVP.
- You can substitute the TVP by using 500 g vegan mince or plant-based ground meat.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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This Post Has 12 Comments
This looks good, I know what I’m making for meal prep next week!
Just wondering if the tomato sauce is the same as tomato puree? Or maybe passata? In my country tomato sauce is what comes in squeezy bottles and we put onto burgers/hot dogs etc. and i’m pretty sure it’s not that ?
Hi Grace!Yes tomato sauce is the same as puree/passata. ◡̈
Came back to say that this is the best chilli recipe I’ve tried ? A perfect balance of simplicity and deliciousness. Thank you thank you thank you ?
So happy to hear!!! Thanks so much Grace ◡̈
I made this a few days ago, and I can’t recommend it enough! It’s honestly amazing, this is the first time I’ve ever made Chili myself, and it came out amazing! I’m in love, and I’ll definitely be making this again very soon. Thank you so much for sharing! 😀
Hi Mia, glad you liked it!! Thanks so much for giving it a try!! ❤️
This recipe is super yummy, the only thing I did was add a bit of beetroot juice for color
Ooh that beet juice is a great idea. Thanks Natalia! ◡̈
This was great!! and so easy to make. I adjusted the spice mix according to my taste preference (meaning 1/8th tspn of cayenne pepper and no chilli powder :D) and used half kidney beans and half sweet corn. Will definitely make it again!!
Glad you enjoyed this Raz! Thanks for trying out my recipe and leaving a review 🙂 appreciate it a lot!!
Such an easy, quick and delicious meal. Took m back to being a child when Mum would serve up bowls of meaty chilli. How good to eat a vege-friendly version! 😋
Hi Hannah, so happy you enjoyed this and even took you back to your childhood! Really means a lot 🧡